Overpowering dyslexia: A research team led by Dr. Timothy Odegard, assistant professor of psychology, hopes to build on current dyslexia findings with a five-year study of MRI data.

Psychology professor's research aimed at helping dyslexic children learn

A new MRI-based study of children with dyslexia by psychology Assistant Professor Timothy Odegard could explain why a small percentage of dyslexic children don’t respond to current teaching strategies.

Dr. Odegard’s work recently was published in the journal Neurocase. Emily Farris, Odegard’s doctoral student, is the lead author on the paper that details the findings from the research team.

Researchers examined functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data from 15 children, ages 8-14. They found that children with dyslexia who responded to treatment and non-dyslexic readers showed greater functional connections between the interior frontal regions of their brains than dyslexic children who had not responded to treatment. The tests were conducted while the children performed basic reading tasks.

“This is really looking at what predicts treatment outcomes,” says Odegard, who was diagnosed with dyslexia as a child. “We’re really looking at how the different areas of the brain work together like a network.”

UT Arlington has announced a licensing agreement with 1st Resource Group Inc. of Fort Worth to commercialize a new, efficient process for converting natural gas to clean, synthetic fuel at a cost lower than current market rates.

University engineering and science researchers have designed a portable conversion unit that transforms natural gas from the field for use as clean-burning, synthetic fuels.

President James D. Spaniolo says the licensing agreement is a milestone in the University’s relationship with business and industry.

“This advancement demonstrates how university research can respond to market demands,” Spaniolo says. “All of us understand the need to lower fuel costs and develop clean energy resources. We believe this agreement is the start of an important and long-lasting relationship with 1st Resource, UMED, and their partners.”

It's less than two months until UT Arlington becomes a tobacco-free campus Monday, Aug. 1.

Health Services offers free tobacco cessation education classes with this month's session set for Tuesday-Wednesday, June 21-22. The classes are on the third Tuesday and Wednesday of each month in Room B03 of the Health Services Center. Check the schedule for details.

The Fresh Start from Tobacco program consists of four one-hour classes designed to educate and assist individuals who are ready to make a fresh start from tobacco use. These seminars cover steps to understanding addiction, quitting and coping strategies, and receiving help. It is important to attend all four sessions. Register online.

Town talk

Provost Donald R. Bobbitt, above, and President James D. Spaniolo spoke during a town hall meeting last Thursday at the Planetarium. They discussed the legislative session and how it might affect the University and answered questions relating to Tier One, research, distance education, natural gas drilling, financial aid, and tuition.

Staff Advisory Council accepting nominations beginning Monday

Nominations for representatives on the Staff Advisory Council are being accepted Monday, June 13, through Monday, June 20.

SAC keeps the president and administrators apprised of the needs and interests of
staff members, and informs staff about relevant issues. Benefits-eligible, classified
employees, and librarians may serve as representatives. Make nominations June 13-20 at uta.edu/sac/nominations.

SAC meets the second Tuesday of each month in the Student Congress chambers on the lower level of the E.H. Hereford University Center. All employees are welcome to attend. The next meeting is at 3 p.m. Tuesday, June 14.

Poetry inspires nursing professor

Kristina Ibitayo ('10 PhD), a clinical assistant professor in the College of Nursing, wrote two poems for the April 2011 issue of American Nurse Today that tell students what nurses will experience.

Q: What inspired you to write the poems?

A: I wrote the poem about a hospital corridor because I found it intriguing that people passing each other may never really know another’s stories and heartache. The poem about nursing's future was written during Ph.D. nursing studies, thinking about theoretical concepts and models and where nursing's future leads.

Q: What is your background in poetry?

A: I began to write poetry as a pre-teen, carefully stowing all my poems in a notebook under my bed. However, after our home burned down and my poems were forever lost, I vowed to never write poetry again. I broke that promise once I began nursing school in 1983, as I discovered poetry was a perfect partner to the required clinical journaling. Writing poetry again felt wonderful, and I've continued writing poems since then, experimenting with different styles, content, and point of view. Multiple poems of mine have been published in nursing and medical journals or newsletters.

Q: How do nursing and poetry intertwine?

A: I believe that nursing and poetry are natural complements to each other. It provides a creative and very unique way to write about issues in the nursing profession, such as the nursing shortage. Nurse poets, in essence, document the nursing world around them, and some poems may even provide a historical context to nursing. I am convinced that if nurses develop their creative side, that channeled creativity will enhance their nursing efforts, even if that creative skill is not used in the workplace. Creative people bring new insights and solutions to their professions.

Q: Tell us about your work in Uganda.

A: I am part of the North Texas Africa Health Initiative. Our team travels to Uganda each summer for several weeks to provide workshops and presentations requested to support and promote the nursing profession in Uganda. Earlier this year Nursing Education Perspectives published
my poem “East African Nursing Leaders,” which describes insights from
nursing leaders in Uganda and Rwanda on the nursing profession in their
countries.

Maximizing Your Employee Benefits

Many people believe their benefits stop at health insurance coverage. See if there are additional benefits you can utilize. Presented by the Office of Human Resources. Registration requested but not required. Free. Noon-1 p.m. Wednesday, June 22, Room 200, Wetsel Service Center. Judy Oslund, 2-5417. See a complete list of HR training classes.

Historical ranking: Coach John Sauerhage has led the Maverick men's track team to its highest national ranking in program history.

Mavericks at NCAA track championships this week

Now ranked No. 24 in the nation, the men's track team has nine entries in the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships this week at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. Competition began Wednesday and continues through Saturday, June 11.

Sophomore Roman Martin ranks second in the nation among the participants in the decathlon. Senior Cordero Gray is seventh in the 100-meter dash and sixth in the 200.

Gray will run with the 400-meter relay team, which includes senior Juan Lewis, sophomore Andrew Pettis, and freshman Clayton Vaughn.

Movin' Mavs announce legacy scholarships

The Movin’ Mavs adapted sports program has created three legacy scholarships honoring individuals who have made unique and distinctive contributions to the program and the development of wheelchair basketball. These scholarships include a $5,000 commitment from the Movin’ Mavs program.

The scholarships honor the late coach Jim Hayes, who founded UT Arlington’s adaptive sports programs; the late Randy Snow, a former Movin’ Mavs player and the first paralympian inducted into the Olympics Hall of Fame; and the late Harry Vines, former president of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association and founder of the University of Arkansas’ Rollin’ Razorbacks program.

Tax deductible donations to a legacy scholarship will be matched by the Movin’ Mavs program. To donate or to apply for a scholarship, contact Doug Garner at dgarner@uta.edu.

Free summer movies on MAC lawn

EXCEL Campus Activities presents its outdoor Summer Movie Series on Thursday evenings after dusk, approximately 9 p.m., on the lawn west of the Maverick Activities Center. Admission is free. Bring lawn chairs and blankets. Find refreshments at the concession stand.

This month's lineup includes:

June 9—The Lincoln Lawyer. Rated R. A slick, charismatic criminal defense attorney lands the case of a lifetime that develops into a deadly match of manipulation.

June 16—Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Rated PG-13. John Hughes' magical comedy about how playing hooky for a single day can produce a lifetime's worth of adventure.

Friday, June 10

$2 Movie: Gnomeo & Juliet The neighboring gardens of Montague and Capulet are at war, but the gnomes, Gnomeo and Juliet, are in love. Rated G. 5:30 p.m. Also 2:30 p.m. Saturday, June 11. Planetarium, 2-1183.

Wednesday, June 15

$2 Movie: Despicable Me When a criminal mastermind uses a trio of orphan girls as pawns for a grand scheme, he finds their love is profoundly changing him for the better. Rated PG. 5:30 p.m. Also 5:30 p.m. Friday, June 17, and 2:30 p.m. Saturday, June 18. Planetarium, 2-1183.

Flow: Dalton Maroney 1982-2011 Exhibit is composed of 17 sculptures and six works on paper created by Maroney, an associate professor in the Department of Art and Art History. Benito Huerta, professor of art, curated the exhibit. Reception 6-9 p.m. Friday, June 17. Free. 1-5 p.m. Wednesdays-Fridays, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays, 1-5 p.m. Sundays. Through July 31. Arlington Museum of Art, 201 W. Main St., Arlington.

Exposure: Photos from the Second Battle of Fallujah Photographs from the
Second Battle of Fallujah taken by UT Arlington student and Marine Corps
veteran Joel Chaverri. Free. Through Aug. 6. Sixth floor parlor, Central
Library.

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